The purpose of this article is to provide requirements for preparing site development plans and traffic study reports so that land development may be reviewed for compliance with city land development code requirements.

The development review committee (DRC) is responsible for reviewing development review applications and site development plans that are the subject of this article. Approval of site development plans shall be in the form of a development approval certificate as provided in section 10.08.00 of this article.

Unless otherwise waived, at the discretion of the city manager, or his or her designee, a pre-application conference with the DRC shall be held for each new site plan submitted to the city for review. For purposes of the pre-application conference, the applicant shall present a concept plan in conformance with section 10.01.03 of this article.

The developer shall present a concept plan, drawn to an appropriate scale, to the city administrator, or his or her designee, for distribution to the DRC.

At a minimum, the plan shall show the following:

A.

Total acreage;

B.

Future land use and zoning districts of the proposed project site and abutting properties;

C.

Project boundaries;

D.

General lot layout, typical lot sizes;

E.

Proposed use(s) and their general location(s) on the site, including building setbacks;

F.

General street layout, as applicable;

G.

Density or intensity, as applicable;

H.

Significant physical conditions (e.g., wetlands, lakes, etc.).

The DRC shall meet with the applicant at a pre-application conference and shall provide information and comments to assist the applicant in the preparation of site development plans consistent with City Code requirements.

A development review application shall accompany all site plans which are the subject of this article. Applicants shall submit the development review application and all required exhibits and applicable fees, in the amount established by resolution by the city council, to the city administrator, or his or her designee.

The development review application shall, at a minimum, include the following information:

A.

The property owner's name, address, telephone number and email address, if available;

B.

If the property involved is owned by a corporation or company, the name, address, telephone number and email address, if available, of its president and secretary;

C.

The name, address, telephone number and email address, if available, of the designated applicant, engineer, or project representative if other than the property owner;

D.

Party having interest in the property (owner, buyer, etc.);

E.

Property location, either physical street address, or if vacant, general location description;

F.

Legal description and property tax identification number;

G.

A statement as to whether the property is located within a designated historic district;

H.

Purpose of application;

I.

Future land use and zoning districts of the proposed project site and abutting properties;

J.

Total acreage.

The site plan review procedure shall be required for specified residential and all nonresidential construction to ensure that all development projects meet the requirements of this Code prior to the issuance of a building permit. It is the intent of this section that the site plan process be a part of the building permit application process, in that the site plan is the instrument by which improvements to the site will be constructed and inspected, and by which final inspection and certificate of occupancy shall be issued. However, the enforcing official, or his or her designee, may at any time accept and review building construction plans related to structural, mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems, subject to the condition that no permits may be issued prior to site plan approval.

For purposes of general site plan review, the developer shall present site plans to the city administrator, or his or her designee, for distribution to the DRC. All required plans and drawings for a project, such as but not limited to, architectural, landscaping and engineering plans, shall be consistent with each other with regard to the layout of the site elements both on the horizontal and vertical planes. Architectural, utility and engineering plans shall not conflict with landscape requirements. In all cases, engineering plans addressing stormwater management, road construction and other technical aspects of development design shall be sealed by a civil engineer registered in the State of Florida. If development is constructed in phases, a site development plan shall be submitted for each successive phase of the development.

Site plan approval shall be required prior to the issuance of a building permit for the following:

A.

A parcel of land proposed for a nonresidential use, including hotels, motels, and RV parks.

B.

A parcel of land proposed for multiple-family residential use of three dwelling units or more, or a mobile home park.

C.

Assisted living facilities and group homes housing more than three residents.

D.

Clubhouses or similar facilities built on common property within a subdivision.

E.

Division of an existing development site (such a division shall result in a new or modified site plan for previously existing development, in addition to a separate plan for new development).

F.

An expansion or reconfiguration of any of those types of development which are subject to site plan requirements.

G.

A change in the use of an existing development site from one land use category to another, as listed in Table 4.10.01.

H.

Any other type of development that the city administrator, or his or her designee, determines to be appropriate for the site plan review process in order to protect the public health, safety and welfare.

A minimum of seven copies of the site development plan, and any additional copies as may be required by the city, shall be submitted to the city administrator, or his or her designee, for processing and review. Site plans shall, at a minimum, contain the following information, as applicable:

A.

Plans shall be submitted on 24 by 36 inch sheets drawn to a scale of not less than one inch equals 100 feet, unless allowed otherwise at the discretion of the city;

B.

When more than one sheet is required, an index sheet of the same size shall be included showing the entire parcel with individual sheet numbers referenced thereon;

C.

Site plan name;

D.

North arrow, scale and date prepared;

E.

A certified boundary survey of the tract prepared by a surveyor registered with the State of Florida showing the location and type of boundary evidence related to the State Plane Coordinate System, if available, and the accurate legal description of the property with a computation of the total acreage of the tract to the nearest tenth of an acre. The survey shall have been prepared within one year prior to filing the site plan;

F.

A survey showing existing topographical features, including contours at one foot intervals as well as spot elevations arranged in a grid system with 35-foot spacing;

G.

Spot elevations along the tract boundary and 25 feet outside thereof (closer where necessary to depict irregularities in the elevations of the property or adjacent property);

H.

Identification of natural features including watercourses, swales, catch basins, ditches, and significant stands of mature trees and understory vegetation that may provide wildlife habitats or other environmentally unique areas;

I.

Delineation of all environmentally sensitive areas and identification of any soil limitations/characteristics, and endangered wildlife and plants, as determined by the appropriate agency;

J.

Identification of all wetlands and flood-prone areas as delineated by the National Wetlands Inventory and the Flood Insurance Rate Maps published by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA);

K.

Location of open space and recreation areas;

L.

Location and dimensions of on-site parking, loading and unloading spaces;

M.

Location and dimensions for traffic circulation, designated with arrows, all public and private streets, site access and driveways, pedestrian walks and utility easements within and adjacent to the site;

N.

The footprint of all proposed buildings and structures on the site, including setbacks;

O.

Sign locations and setbacks;

P.

Fence and wall locations and heights;

Q.

Phase lines, if the development is constructed in phases;

R.

All existing and proposed utilities and utility tie-in locations, including but not limited to:

1.

Water and wastewater pipe sizes, rim and invert elevations, direction of flow and top and bottom elevations and fire hydrant locations and flows;

2.

Telephone, electric, gas and other utilities;

S.

Location of major solid waste receptacles, including dumpster pads and enclosures;

T.

Tabulations of the following, as applicable:

1.

Total square footage or acreage of project site;

2.

Total number of lots and average size;

3.

Number of units proposed, if any, and resulting gross density;

4.

Acreage of each type of land use and its percentage of total acreage;

5.

Total square footage of buildings and structures;

6.

Total floor area, in square feet, of residential and non-residential uses;

7.

Total number of required and proposed on-site parking spaces;

8.

Total square footage of building lot coverage and percentage of the overall site;

9.

Total square footage of vehicular use areas (parking, sidewalks, etc.);

10.

Square footage of open space and recreation areas and percentage of the overall site.

When requesting site development plan approval, the applicant shall furnish proof that the development site is unified by title and not spatially divided by ownership; however, multiple ownership is permissible so long as each owner or investor holds a percentage or proportionate interest in the site as a whole.

Any modification, variation or adjustment of an approved site plan shall require a site plan amendment approval. The city administrator, or his or her designee, shall determine whether a proposed site plan modification is a major or a minor modification. The determination shall be based on, but shall not be limited to the following:

A.

Major modification includes any substantial change, including an increase in density, a change in permitted uses, a change in stormwater runoff characteristics, a change in traffic patterns and/or trip generation, or other similar changes;

B.

Minor modification includes any proposed changes in configuration or other similar changes as deemed not to alter the intent and purpose of the approved overall development plan.

The applicant shall submit the site plan modification request to the city administrator, or his or her designee. The city administrator, or his or her designee, may approve minor modifications. However if the proposed change or amendment is determined to be a major modification, the city administrator, or his or her designee, shall forward the site plan revisions to the DRC, and any other appropriate members of city staff and outside consultants, for review and determination of approval. Approval shall be in the form of a development approval certificate consistent with section 10.08.00.

A building permit shall be obtained within 12 months of the approval date of a site plan or the plan shall become invalid. No building permit shall be issued until the site plan has been approved and is on file with the city. All building and construction permits issued for any project requiring site plan review shall be consistent with the approved site plan and any stipulated conditions that are part of the approval. The approval of a site plan shall not, under any circumstance, be construed to waive or otherwise diminish the applicable city requirements for construction or installation of structures or materials. Whenever a conflict between the site plan and such construction details occurs, the more restrictive, or that requiring the higher standard, shall prevail.

The building or enforcing official shall retain one copy of the site plan to constitute a permanent record of said plan. A minimum of three copies of the plan shall be reserved for the applicant, two copies of which shall accompany the application for a building permit, and one copy which shall be available for inspection at the job site.

Failure to comply with an approved site plan or any of the conditions upon which such approval was contingent, including time limits for performance, shall be cause to deny issuance of a building permit or, where a permit has been issued pursuant to an approved site plan, to render such building permit invalid. Any action, construction, development or use of property undertaken in violation of the provisions of this Code shall constitute a violation of this Code and may be subject to a stop-work order.

The construction plan review process allows for the review and approval of all site and infrastructure improvements prior to construction. Construction plans shall consist of complete working drawings and design specifications, and shall be the basis for evaluating the quality and completeness of the proposed engineering design, compliance with all applicable regulations, establishment of a construction schedule, and site improvement permitting. Approval of the construction plans may be subject to any conditions, restrictions, and/or time schedules as may be deemed necessary in the public interest.

Construction plan review shall be initiated when the following information has been provided to the office of the city administrator:

A.

Complete application forms, including a development review application with all necessary attachments;

B.

The applicable review fee, as established by resolution by the city council;

C.

Complete sets of construction plans, prepared by a civil engineer registered in the State of Florida.

Construction plans shall, at a minimum, show the following information:

A.

Construction plans shall be submitted on 24 by 36 inch sheets drawn to a scale of not less than one inch equals 100 feet, unless allowed otherwise at the discretion of the city;

B.

Seal of registered engineer and surveyor responsible for the plan and data;

C.

Final alignments, dimensions, grades and profiles of proposed streets, sidewalks, bicycle paths, utilities, stormwater management and other improvements to be constructed consistent with the City of Arcadia's engineering standards;

D.

Calculations, computations and details as may be necessary to determine the limits of wetlands, groundwater table characteristics, off-site impacts of the proposed development, and other technical matters that may be specified by the city or any consultant under contract to do work for the city;

E.

Any permits from agencies approving access to state or county roadways;

F.

Any permits from agencies approving the proposed stormwater management system;

G.

Any permits from agencies approving the utilities plan;

H.

Any permits from environmental agencies having jurisdiction;

I.

Three copies of estimates of quantities, unit prices and estimated costs for streets, stormwater management and storm wastewaters, water distribution systems, and wastewater systems.

A.

Engineering as-built drawings shall be submitted to the office of the city administrator for distribution to the appropriate city officials prior to the issuance of a certificate of completion.

B.

One electronic copy, or an equivalent, of the drawings shall be submitted to the office of the city administrator for distribution to the appropriate city officials prior to the issuance of a certificate of completion.

C.

The engineering as-built drawings shall be consistent with engineering standards adopted by the City of Arcadia.

D.

All as-built drawings shall contain a certification by a professional engineer and registered land surveyor of personal verification of the exact location and dimensions of all completed improvements, as well as certification that all utilities have been installed in accordance with specifications.

Any person proposing development or redevelopment in the city shall submit stormwater management plans to the city administrator, or his or her designee, as part of, or attached to, site development plans for the proposed development. The plan shall demonstrate the measures to be implemented for controlling runoff as required under the provisions of section 6.06.00 of this Code and shall include information necessary to illustrate the means by which compliance with applicable control standards will be achieved. Approval of the stormwater management plan, as applicable, shall be a condition prior to the issuance of a building permit.

A stormwater management plan shall be reviewed by the appropriate DRC members and all other governmental authorities having jurisdiction. Any development activity for which a permit is issued under this section which has not commenced within one year from the date of permit issuance and/or has not been completed within two years from the date of permit issuance shall automatically be null and void unless otherwise extended by the city administrator, or his or her designee, subject to a new plan review fee.

Any person proposing development or redevelopment in the city, which is subject to landscape provisions, shall submit a landscape plan. The landscape plan may be submitted separately, but shall be a part of a site development plan submission, where site development plan submission is required.

For purposes of landscape plan review, the developer shall present a minimum of seven copies of the landscape plan to the city administrator, or his or her designee, for distribution to the DRC.

Landscape plans shall, at a minimum, contain the following information, as applicable:

A.

Plans shall be submitted on 24 by 36 inch sheets drawn to a scale of not less than one inch equals 100 feet, unless allowed otherwise at the discretion of the city;

B.

Project name;

C.

Graphic scale, north arrow and date of plan;

D.

General property location vicinity map;

E.

Site layout and all site improvements with dimensions, including but not limited to buildings and other structures, parking spaces, driving aisles, driveways, sidewalks, stormwater retention areas, signs, walls and fences and on-site and abutting streets;

F.

Location and width of utility easements and location of overhead powerlines;

G.

Future land use and zoning districts of the proposed project site and abutting properties;

H.

Identification of abutting land uses;

I.

Graphic measurement identifying the width of required landscape buffer yards;

J.

Identification/name and location of all landscape plant material and quantities of each type of plant provided;

K.

Location, name and crown diameter of preserved trees;

L.

Graphic measurement identifying the mature crown spread (diameter) of proposed trees providing canopy coverage over on-site sidewalks and vehicular use areas;

M.

Tabulations of the following:

1.

Required and proposed number of parking spaces;

2.

Square footage of on-site sidewalks and vehicular use areas;

3.

Square footage of tree canopy area required;

4.

Square footage of tree canopy area provided;

5.

Identification of type or class of buffer yard required (e.g., Type A);

6.

Required number of buffer yard plantings;

7.

Number of buffer yard plantings provided;

N.

If the property is to be developed in phases, each phase and all improvements for each phase shall be clearly shown;

O.

An irrigation plan and specifications shall be provided, as acceptable to the city's engineer, which show the layout and describe a workable underground irrigation system as a complete unit providing full coverage of all landscaped areas and including such information as piping circuits, pipe sizes, heads, valves, controls, pumps, power source, and all other associated accessories and fixtures.

The city administrator, or his or her designee, shall inspect the landscaping installation to ensure that it is in conformance with the requirements set forth in this land development code and with the approved landscape plans. Plant material substitutions may be approved by the city administrator, or his or her designee, so long as the intent and requirements of this Code are met.

A.

Minor traffic study. A minor traffic study shall be required for developments generating more than 50 and less than or equal to 750 average daily trips. Traffic studies shall be performed at the developer's expense. Minor traffic studies shall be submitted to the city administrator, or his or her designee, and shall include the following information:

1.

Development review application consistent with section 10.01.04 of this article;

2.

A description of the proposed project;

3.

Each future land use category and zoning district classification proposed;

4.

Type of and size of project (number of dwelling units or square feet);

5.

An estimate of the number of daily and peak hour trips generated, by direction, for each directly accessed segment (Peak hour is generally defined as the PM peak hour of adjacent street traffic. At the discretion of the city's engineer or representative, peak hour may be defined as the AM peak hour of adjacent street traffic, or peak hour of the generator);

6.

The percent of capacity consumed by the project traffic;

7.

The number of net external peak hour trips that will impact each directly accessed segment for both the peak and off-peak directions (e.g., after internal capture and adjacent street capture is considered);

8.

The analysis of intersections, as necessary to ensure acceptable operating conditions at major intersections in the project vicinity.

The impact of project traffic on the first directly accessed segment, as well as specified intersections, shall be evaluated relative to its adopted level-of-service. Additional impacted segments may be added when it would be in the best interest of the city to do so in order to maintain the adopted level-of-service standards. A determination shall be made by the city's engineer, or engineering representative, whether or not the road facilities are adequate to maintain adopted service levels upon build-out of the proposed development.

If the information submitted indicates the level-of-service will fall below the adopted standard, then the applicant may undertake a more detailed evaluation of future roadway operating conditions to demonstrate acceptable operating conditions or the applicant may propose roadway improvements to restore acceptable conditions.

B.

Major traffic study. A major traffic study shall be required for all developments generating more than 750 average daily trips. A major traffic study which indicates total daily traffic greater than 1,000 trips must be prepared and submitted by a registered professional engineer, whose area of practice is transportation engineering. Traffic studies shall be performed at the developer's expense.

Prior to conducting a major traffic study, the applicant, or his or her engineer, shall participate in a pre-application conference with the city's engineer to discuss the traffic study requirements as it pertains to his or her specific development. The applicant, or his or her engineer, shall provide a diagram depicting site access at the pre-application conference. This diagram shall provide sufficient detail to adequately depict existing and proposed ingress/egress to the site (pavement width, median cuts, opposite driveway cuts and intersecting streets, acceleration/deceleration lanes, and left turn storage). Site access for a proposed development shall be consistent with the requirements of the city and other jurisdictions, as applicable.

The applicant shall submit the development review application, consistent with section 10.01.04 of this article, and one paper copy and one electronic copy of a completed major traffic study, to the city administrator, or his or her designee. The city administrator, or his or her designee, shall forward the information to the city's engineer, or engineering representative, who shall determine if all required data has been submitted and is sufficient and acceptable. This determination, as well as a determination that additional data is necessary, shall be made within ten working days of receipt of the major traffic study. Following this determination, the city's engineer shall have 30 working days to evaluate and determine if roadway capacity is available on each segment as presented in the traffic impact study and prepare a concurrency recommendation.

Each major traffic study shall contain the following information:

1.

Title page;

2.

Table of Contents;

3.

List of Figures;

4.

List of Tables;

5.

An introduction which includes a description of the project, project location, size of the project and summary of methodologies agreed to in the pre-application conference;

6.

Identification of existing conditions for the peak hour to include existing traffic volumes and roadway characteristics for all segments within the study area; and

7.

Identification of future conditions for the peak hour to include background traffic, project traffic, and total traffic for all segments within the study area. In order to accomplish this, the applicant shall include the following:

a.

Trip generation estimates;

b.

Percent of new trips and internal capture estimates;

c.

Traffic distribution and assignment methodology;

d.

Area of influence (determination of road segments to be included in study network);

e.

Impacted segments traffic volumes (peak and off-peak directions);

f.

Intersection analyses, as required;

g.

Roadway needs (identification of proposed improvements);

h.

Internal site circulation and access needs;

i.

Appendix (as applicable to the specific traffic impact study);

j.

Traffic count data;

k.

Trip generation, internal and adjacent street capture worksheets;

l.

Trip distribution and assignment worksheets;

m.

Intersection capacity analysis worksheets using the Highway Capacity Manual latest edition or associated software;

n.

Link capacity analyses;

o.

Computerized modeling documentation (if performed); and

p.

Other analysis worksheets.

A plan shall be submitted with every application for a building permit for any use or structure required to provide off-street parking, which plan shall clearly and accurately designate the required parking spaces, access aisles and driveways, and relation to the uses or structures these off-street parking facilities are intended to serve. See sections 10.01.04 and 10.02.02 for development review application and site development plan submission requirements.

A.

Development approval certificate required for new use of land. No vacant land shall be put to use, and no existing use of land shall be changed to a new or dissimilar type of use, unless a development approval certificate is first obtained for the new or different use, provided that this requirement shall not apply to agricultural uses of land.

B.

Development approval certificate required for new use of building. No building or structure, or part thereof, shall be changed to, or occupied by, a use of a different nature unless a development approval certificate is first obtained.

C.

Development approval certificate exemption.

1.

Individual single family and duplex units shall be exempt from the development approval certificate requirement.

D.

Development approval certificate generally.

1.

Issuance of a DAC indicates that the proposal meets all applicable requirements of this Code, as well as other standards and regulations administered by the city. Accordingly, it shall contain an indication of approval by the DRC and any other relevant city departments and consultants employed on behalf of the city.

2.

The building or enforcing official shall retain one copy of the DAC to constitute a permanent record. A minimum of three copies of the DAC shall be reserved for the applicant, two copies of which shall accompany the application for a building permit, and one copy which shall be available for inspection at the job site.

3.

All building permits shall be consistent with the final version of the site plan attached to the DAC. Any alternate or previous versions of the site plan shall be deemed invalid after a DAC is issued. Changes in site layout or in any element of the site plan shall require a new or amended DAC, to be approved by the city administrator, or his or her designee.

4.

Where the proposed development consists of the renovation or reconfiguration of an existing site such that no new site plan is required, the DAC may indicate such information. However, this shall not constitute an exemption from any review which may be required under other regulations.

5.

Nothing herein shall relieve any applicant of the responsibility of seeking any additional permit required by applicable regulations of the City of Arcadia, DeSoto County, the Southwest Florida Water Management District, or the State of Florida.

6.

A building permit shall be obtained within 12 months of the approval date of the site plan for which the DAC is issued. The provisions for site plan approval under sections 10.02.05 and 10.02.06 of this article are applicable.